Game



I. E. BURDICK April 14, 1936.

' GAME Filed Oct. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 XIIHHHJ .mIIIIHIII ATTORNEY CCINVEYQTOR 4,, MM

April 14, 1936.

l. E. BURDICK GAME Fil ed Oct. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES ATENT GFFICE GAME Irving E. Burdick, New York, N. Y. Application October 20, 193.4, Serial No. 749,263 5 Claims. (01. 273-144) invention relates to a game apparatus Means are provided for mechanically swinging characterized by the employmentof a pendulum the pendulum. In the construction shown in adapted. to, receive balls. blocks or dice and to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, such means comprises a discharge the same within pockets; at the lower solenoid coil I held. on the pendulum by strap II end thereof, or upon a. b eb d having th and a solenoid core 52 secured to a wall of the general function of a, pocket member, it bein casing. To the negative terminal of coil Ibis concfivided into seeti ns The pendulum is prefernected wire l3. TO, the positive terminal Of the ablyprovidedwith pins or other impediments tocoil is led wire l4 connected to spring switch retard, the movement 01-; the balls, blocks. or dice m mb r 5. th at r being s ht y spa ed from m and; with means for imparting a bodily swinging a. Co-acti'ng Sw member Connected to D 1 l movement relatively to the pocket member, tive wire I6. Wires. I3 and I6 lead to a suitable The; invention, will be described with reference P Co nection II. to; the accompanying drawings in which Secured to the rear of the pendulum is a trans- 1 is a View in fr t elevation of an verse arm I8, the latter being disposed below a i3 bodiment of: the invention, the, transparent front W l closlng r I Arm l9 carries spaced 1-? plate being broken away on the line I-I, Fig. 2. D1115 201/, and at one end of t e arm iS a Fig. 2. is a vertical section on the line 2 -2, metallic bridging member I9x for the switch members I5, I'5x. V Fig, 3; is a, honzontal section on the line 3 3 When the pendulum lies in the position shown 30 1 in full lines, Fig. 1, the switch closing arm I9 will Fig. 4; is a fragmentary horizontal section on old bridging extension I92: in position to close t line 4 4 Fj g 1 the circuit, the solenoid will draw the pendulum Fig 5 is fragmentary elevation of certain of t0 the left t0 the dotted line. position Of Fig. 1. the switch members showing them in contact po- In such movement, arm I 8 will strike pin 20 and g5 smgn, rock arm. Hi to such position as to retract member Fig 6, i a, detailed ti on th lin 6-4;, I911: from the switch members and break the cir- 5, looking in the direction, of th arr w cult. When the circuit is broken, the pendulum Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation showing a modiwill move to the right (from the dotted line pofiediorm of mechanically actuated means for the sition of Fig. 1) under the action of gravity, its

pendulum, Weight being augmented by the weight of the 30' Fig. 8 is a side: elevation of the device shown solenoid coil at the lower end thereof. and in i Eig 'z practice, its momentum will carry it into regis- Fig. 9. is a plan view of the: device shown in ter with the right. hand pocket a, Fig. 1, before Figs. '1 and 8 incorporating a baseboard divided the action of the solenoid can take effect, al-

into seotionsfor thereception of the playing units. though the switch. memlbers I5, I53: will be 35 Referring to the drawings, it. will be. seen that bridged at. the instant, the pendulum reaches full the, embodiments therein shown comprise a casline position, Fig. 1. The pendulum will then ing I of any suitable material havingatransparmovev to the left while the frictional engageentfrorit plate 2,. the upper wall of the casing ment. of the members I5, I521: upon bridging ex- 40 having an inlet member 3 for the playing units, tension like will hold the circuit closed. When 40 the latter being disposed in register with the inthe pendulum reaches the full line position of let of pendulum 4. Fig. 1, the solenoid will continue the movement Pendulum 4 preferably carries a plurality of to the left and the action will be repeated as pins or other obstacle members indicated at 5 and before.

is pivotally mounted within the casing. In the In Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, I have shown manual- 45 embodiment shown, the pendulum is elliptical ly operated means for operating the pendulum. in shape having an inlet opening at 4x, the walls 'Such means comprises a pivoted lever 2I havsurrounding. the opening being provided with a ing a hooked end adapted toengage a stud 22 metallic strap 6. A pivoted pin I engages the carried by the pendulum near the top thereof. 5J0 strap at the rear thereof and a second pivot pin Lever 2| is connected by pivot stud 23 to an end- I11: engages the strap at the front thereof, the wise movable shaft 24 pivotally connected in pivot pin I being carried by a yoke-like bracket turn to a hand lever 25. Hand lever 25 is fulmember 8 secured to the rear wall of the casing crumed at 26 and is provided with a detent rethrough bracket member 9 which carries pivot cess at 21 adapted to be entered by the ball end pin I. of a detent pin 28. This pin may be spring 5 pressed or the normal lateral spring action of hand lever may be utilized for the detent action.

In the position of the parts illustrated in Fig. 7, the end of pivoted lever 2| opposite its hooked end is in engagement with a stop pin 29. When hand lever 25 is moved to the left the requisite distance, the hooked end of lever 2| will, through stud 22 impart motion to the pendulum and stop pin 29 in the bodily movement of lever 2| will carry the hooked end upwardly out of register with the pin and the parts will be held in such position by the holding of hand lever 25 by the detent members 2'! and 28. When the swinging of the pendulum has been concluded, hand lever 25 may be pulled back to the position shown in Fig. '7 for further action upon the pendulum.

In connection with the modification illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9 inclusive, I have shown the use of a so-called pocket board 39 either in substitution of the pocket member illustrated in the preceding figures or as an addition thereto. In the drawings, member 38 is shown as an addition to a pocket member comprising a base 3|, a back wall 3L1: and pocket division walls 32, the pocket member being pivoted at 33 so as to lie in the dotted line position of Fig. 8 with the base or bottom wall 3| inclined toward the pocket board 30, so that the playing units dropped upon the inclined surface 3| will be projected forwardly upon the upper surface of the pocket board, the latter preferably being ruled or otherwise divided into sections or other divisions.

In both forms of the device, the action of the pendulum upon the playing units is first to cause the units to move downwardly in an uncertain path and in an uncertain period of time due to the impediments presented by pins 5 and secondly to discharge a given playing unit'into one of the pockets. When playing the game, a player drops a ball or other playing unit into the hopper-like member 3, and the unit is received by the pendulum and is deflected by the pins through a circuitous path and finally is projected into one of the pockets, each pocket having its own value different from that of the other pockets, the object being to secure the greatest number of points, the player securing the major points winning the game.

When the board 30 is employed, an additional element of chance is provided for the reason that the playing unit will be projected through a given pocket of a specified value and thence upon a division of the board having a specified value. For example, the board 30 is shown in Fig. 9 as divided into a plurality of rows of rectangular divisions, each of which may have a designated value. The pivotal connection 33 may be frictional so that the pocket member so pivoted may be moved upward with its wall 3| in horizontal position so as to eliminate the use of board 30 if desired, or a latch may be provided to hold said pocket member in upper position.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention. What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:--

1. A game apparatus comprising a support, a pendulum carried by said support and having inlet and discharge openings, means for swinging the pendulum in an arcuate path comprising a solenoid device and means operated by the pendulum for making and breaking a circuit to said solenoid device, the pendulum being adapted to receive playing units and to direct them to various points within said arcuate path.

2. A device constructed in accordance with claim 1, in which one member of the solenoid is carried by the pendulum and a second member thereof is carried by said support and the circuit closing means comprises a bridgingmember engaged and operated by the pendulum in its motion. A

3. A game apparatus comprising a support, a pendulum carried by said support and having inlet and discharge openings, means for swinging the pendulum in an arcuate path, a pocket member having a plurality of pockets disposed below the pendulum and a baseboard divided into reception areas adjacent said pocket member, the pendulum being adapted to receive playing units and to direct them to said pockets, the pocket member being adapted to discharge the playing units from the pockets to said baseboard. a

4. A game apparatus comprising a support, a

single impulse directed in a plane transversely of said walls.

5. A game apparatus comprising a support, an.-

electrical circuit, a circuit breaker, including a pendulum carried by said support, means for directing a playing unit such as a ball, to a faceof the pendulum so that said face may guide the ball in descent by gravity and a playing unit reception member below said pendulum and divided into reception areas.

IRVING E. BURDICK. 

